Bottle carrier



y 3, 1951 J. A. LAMPRECHT 2.552.439

, BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Oct. 5, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Joseph ,4. Lamprechf AT TORNE Y5 May 8, 951 J. A. LAMFfRECHT BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Oct. 5, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Joseph Alamprechr AT TOR/V15 rs Patented May 8, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to bottle carriers and is in the nature of an improvement upon the invention disclosed and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States, #1443985, granted to me on June 22', 1948, for Bottle Carriers.

In the patent referred to disclosure is made of a basket-like carrier adapted to support two longitudinal rows of bottles side-by-side. The carrier body of the patent comprises a unitary stirrup-like sheet metal member that includes a bottom portion and straight upstanding end arms. A channeled sheet metal bail or handle is slidably secured to the end arms. Each end arm has a pair of spaced straps displaced from it to form with the arm body a guideway for the associated bail leg. The associated bail leg has a tongue struck from the base of the channel whose upper end is free and is displaced into position to be intercepted by the lower strap as the bail is slid upward.

With a construction of this kind it is possible to ship and store the carrier bodies and the bails in unassembled relation since the assembly can be effected simply by sliding the legs of the bail downward through the guideways bounded by the straps.

In accordance with the present invention the construction referred to above is adhered to but provision is further made of a separator adapted.

to be applied to the end arms of the body inthe same manner and by the same means as the handle.

It is a further feature of the invention that a separator and divider combination is provided which is light, sturdy and efiicient in use and which can be manufactured in a simple and economical manner.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing forming part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a view in sectional elevation of a bottle carrier embodying the invention, the section being taken upon the line l-l of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the bottle carrier of Fig. 1, the section being taken upon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detailed view in sectional elevation, the section being taken upon the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in sectional elevation, the section being taken upon the line 2 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The illustrative carrier includes a body member I which comprises a bottom portion 2 and upstanding end arms 3. Each end arm 3 has vertical slots 4 formed in its side margins. Throughout the bottom area the body member I is desirably formed with reinforcing ribs 5.

Side bands 6 have their end portions curved inward. Tongues i at the extremities of the side bands are passed inward through the slots 3 and clinched.

Each end arm 3 has upper and lower straps 9 and It struck inward from it to form a guideway for an associated leg II, of a channeled carrying handle or bail I2. Near the lower end of each channeled bail arm H a spring tongue I3 is struck from the channel base, the upper end of the tongue being free. The tongue is deformed to cause its upper end to be normally displaced laterally with respect to the bail leg.

The basket-like bodies and the bails, constructed as described but not operatively associa'ted with one another, are shipped in like numbers and in the same or separate packages to the dealer who is to use them. When the user is ready to put the carriers into service or to prepare a stock of carriers for service it is a very simple matter to insert the bail ends through straps 9 and Ill and to thrust the bail ends downward until they engage the bottom member 2. During this operation the tongues l3 are readily cammed aside by the lower straps In so that they pass through straps without substantial difficulty.

When the tongues have passed through the lower straps I0 they spring inward so that the lower straps l0 stand in intercepting relation to them. When a container has been loaded and is picked up by bail I2, the bail slides upward until such sliding movement is arrested by engagement of the tongues I3 with the lower straps I0.

As thus far described, the construction corresponds in all important points with the construction of Patent #2,443,985. In accordance with the present invention, however, a longitudinally extending separator l4, which carries a divider I5, is provided, and the strap arrangement of the arms 3 is modified to enable the separator to be applied along with, and in the same manner as, the bail [2.

The separator It consists of a strip ofv sheet metal, having a body portion [6 and down-turned ends ll. Throughout the major portion of its have "their ends overturned after 'throughthe' openings to hold the parts securely in assembled relation.

length the body portion I6 is centrally folded to bring its opposite sides into juxtaposed relation and to dispose them in vertical planes. Each down-turned end or leg I! of the separator has a spring tongue l8 struck from its lower end, the upper end of the tongue being free. The tongue is deformed to cause its upper end to be normally displaced from the plane of the leg H.

The legs I! of the separator are applied to the basket-like body'in the same manner as legs 1 l of the bail. The legs I! are not long enough, however, to cause their tongues l8 to pass below the lower strap It, tongues I8 being designed to cooperate with the upper straps 9 in preventing removal of the separator from the carrier body..

'the bail and the separator legs. The lower straps l0, however, are inclined to define tapering guideways. At the 'upper edge of the strap In the guideway is wide enough to receive the combined thickness of the bail and separator legs, but at the'lower edge of the strap ID the guideway is only wide enough to pass the bail leg. It will be 'seen'that the upper margin of the strap to receives and confines the lower extremity of the separator leg 'l'l but that the lower edge of the strap) stands in obstructing relation to the tongue l3 of the bail leg.

The separator may be applied to the carrier body'before or after the bail, or simultaneously with the bail. Neither interferes in any way with the otheryso that there is nothing critical about the sequence of assembly operations. This is a very advantageous point because the carrier parts will generally be assembled by store clerks who have'little knowledge or skill in mechanical matters.

'The'diVider'IE desirably consists of a single piece of sheet metal. Thedivider comprises a U-shaped'body portion l9, which'rests astride the body p'ortion It of the separator. Aligned openings "2t and2l are formed throughthe bodies of the divider and the separator. Through fasteners" 22' pass through the openings and 2t and insertion Arms 23 constitute prolongations of the side portions of'the' divider body Hi. There are two 'ofthese 'armsateach side of the separator and they are folded away from the'separator to divide the spaces'at either side of the separator into "three substantially equal divisions.

' The divider is produced with almost no waste of material and in an extremely simple and economical manner. A rectangular blank is punched having slots 'formed in it to divide the arms 23'from one another. The body is then bent to U-shape, and the arms 23 arebent outward to the shapes indicated.

5 I have described what I believe to be the best embodiment of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiment shown but what I desire'to cover by Letters Patent is slet-forth in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

19A" basket-like bottle carrier comprising a body that includes side and bottom portions and s't'iaight upstanding ends, a sheet metal carrying =handle-slidably secured to the ends, and a longitudinally extending bottle separator secured to the ends, said ends having spaced straps displaced from them one above the other, and the handle and separator having downturned legs at their opposite ends, the handle and separator legs at each end being passed downward in juxtaposed relation through the guideway portion bounded by the upper strap, and the handle leg being continued downward through-the guideway portion bounded by the lower strap, each handle leg having an upwardly directed spring tongue engageaable with the lower side of the lower associated strap to retain the handle against separation "'from'the body, and each separator leg having an upwardlydirected spring tongue engageable with the lower side of the upper associated strap to retain the-separator against accidental removal from the body.

2. A basket-like bottle carrier comprising a body that includes side and bottom portions and straight upstanding ends, a'sheet metal carrying handle slid'ably secured tothe ends, and a longitudinally extending" bottle separator secured to the ends, said-endshaving spaced straps displaced -fromthem one above the other, and the handle and separator having downturned legs at'their opposite endsjthe handle and separator legs at each end being. passed-downwardly in juxtaposed relation through the guideway portion bounded by theupper strap, and the handle leg being continued downward through the guideway portion bounded by the lower strap, each handle leg. having an-upwardly directed spring tongue engageable. with the-lower side of the lower associated strap to retain the handle against separation from the body, and each separator leg .having an upwardly directed spring tongue engageable with the-lower side or" the upper associated strap-to retain the-separator againstaccidental removal from the body, each lowerstrap being inclined to form a tapering guideway wide enough to receive the associated handle and separator legs at its upper end but only wide enough to pass the handle leg at its lower end.

7 3. In a basket-like bottle carrier, a separator and divider combination, the separator consisting of a strip of sheet metal which comprises a body portion and downturned ends, the body portion being folded-double along its longitudinal center throughout the major portion of its length, and the divider consisting of a sheet metal member-having a- U-shaped body resting astridethe body-portion of'the separator, and arms forming prolongations of-the side portions of the U-shaped body, said arms at opposite sides of the separatorbeing curved to extend away from the separator into bottle embracing positions, and fastening means securing'the divider in fixed position up'onthe separator.

JOSEPH A. LAMPRECHT.

REFERENCESQCITED The following references are of record in the file of this "patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

